1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to the field of currency handling machines, and in particular to a note hopper for dispensing paper currency, bank notes or cash equivalent scrip.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The advent of wide-spread use of bill acceptors or currency validation units for use with gaming machines and vending machines has greatly increased the convenience to the user by allowing the use of paper bills in various denominations, as opposed to coins, to operate these types of machines. Generally, however, these types of machines only dispense money in the form of coins and they are incapable of dispensing paper currency. Coincidentally, the wide-spread use of automated transaction machines (ATMs) has provided the consuming public with ready access to paper currency from ATMs using a bank card or credit card and upon entry of user appropriate code information. Operationally, however, ATMs are predominantly intended to dispense currency in a single denomination from a secure location and they are thus little more than a note counting and dispensing apparatus.
For certain applications, such as gaming and vending machines having bill validation capabilities, there is a need for a bill or note dispenser which will interact with an electronic controller of the machine, to dispense currency, bills, or other secure notes.
An object of the present invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device which can discharge notes from a cassette removably attached to a frame.
Another object of the invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device which can recover unacceptable notes such as double or false notes without the discharging these notes to avoid trouble with users.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device with a cassette which includes an extracting device wherein a frame supports an extraction drive means which drives the extracting device to manufacture the cassette in light weight.
A further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight note holding and dispensing device electrically connectable to a host machine.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a note holding and dispensing device with a cassette lock device for securing a cassette to a frame wherein delivery and recovery slots in the cassette can be opened and closed by operation of the cassette lock device for anti-theft.
A note holding and dispensing device according to the present invention comprises a frame (16) formed with a cavity (112); a cassette (18) removably positioned in the cavity (112) of the frame (16) for holding a plurality of notes (66); a transfer device (24) comprising an extraction drive means (120) and a conveyer means (122) provided in the frame (16); and an electronic controller (46) for controlling operation of the extraction drive means (120) and conveyer means (122) of the transfer device (24). The cassette (18) has a chamber (64) for receiving the notes (66) and an extracting device (232) for discharging the notes (66) in the chamber (64). The extraction drive means (120) operates the extracting device (232) in the cassette (18) to fetch the notes (66) from the cassette (18). The conveyer means (122) transports the notes (66) received from the cassette (18) to an outlet (20) through a passageway (22).
The electronic controller (46) generates drive signals to operate the extraction drive means (120) and conveyer means (122) of the transfer device (24) so that the notes (66) can be successively dispensed from the removably and exchangeably mounted cassette (18) through the passageway (22). In this case, the cassette (18) can be made in light weight because the extracting device (232) can be driven by the extraction drive means (120) attached to the frame (16). The term xe2x80x9cnotexe2x80x9d herein is used to mean all valuable paper such as bill, paper currency, bank notes, coupons, scrip, or other xe2x80x9csecurexe2x80x9d paper with an associated cash value.
In an embodiment of the instant invention, the cassette (18) comprises a storage area (68), and a diverting device (230) for receiving an unacceptable note (66) from the conveyer means (122) and forwarding the same to the storage area (68). The transfer device (24) comprises at least a sensor means (30, 32) provided by the passageway (22) for detecting the unacceptable note (66) that is moved through the passageway (22), and a diverting means (183) for diverting the unacceptable note (66) from the passageway (22) to a recovery path (48) for the storage area (68) in the cassette (18). Upon detection of the unacceptable note (66) by the sensor means (30, 32), the electronic controller (46) operates the diverting means (183) to guide the note (66) from the passageway (22) to the recovery path (48) in order to recover unacceptable note (66) such as double or false notes without discharging these notes to avoid trouble with users.
The sensor means (30, 32) includes an optical sensor (30, 32) for detecting double notes (66) moved through the passageway (22) to produce a detection signal so that the electronic controller (46) operates the diverting means (183) to divert the note (66) from the passageway (22) to the recovery path (48) when receives the detection signal of the double notes (66) from the optical sensor (30, 32). The optical sensor (30, 32) detects characteristics of the note (66) travelling along the passageway (22) and forwards output signals indicative of the note characteristics to the electronic controller (46). The electronic controller (46) comprises a microprocessor (50) for receiving the output signals from the optical sensor (30, 32) to validate the note (66) in comparison of the received output signals with stored signal parameters. The electronic controller (46) operates the diverting means (183) to divert the note (66) from the passageway (22) to the recovery path (48) when receives the detection signal from the optical sensor (30, 32) that the note (66) is not genuine.
The transfer device (24) comprises an extraction motor (124) and a transport motor (150) both controlled by the electronic controller (46) so that the extraction motor (124) provides the extraction drive means (120) with a drive force, and the transport motor (150) provides the conveyer means (122) with a drive force when the note (66) is extracted from the chamber (64) of the cassette (18).
The transfer device (24) comprises an entry detecting sensor (198) for detecting a leading edge of the note (66) extracted from the cassette (18) to the passageway (22) to produce a detection signal so that the electronic controller (46) ceases operation of the extraction motor (124) when receives the detection signal from the entry detecting sensor (198). Also, the transfer device (24) comprises an outlet sensor (42) for detecting existence of the note (66) which partially extends outward from the passageway (22) through the outlet (20) to produce a detection signal so that the electronic controller (46) ceases operation of the transport motor (150) when receives the detection signal from the outlet sensor (42). Moreover, the transfer device (24) comprises a post-validation sensor (40) for detecting a leading edge of the note (66) to produce a detection signal so that the electronic controller (46) operates the diverting means (183) to divert the note (66) from the passageway (22) to the recovery path (48) when receives the detection signal from the post-validation sensor (40) and decides that the note (66) is unacceptable in view of the outputs from the sensor means (30, 32).
The cassette (18) comprises a casing (62); a lid (60) pivotally mounted on the casing (62) to cover the chamber (64) and storage area (68); and a lock means (70, 72) for securing the cassette (18) to the frame (16) and for securing the lid (60) to the casing (62). The cassette (18) further includes a sealing device (270) which comprises a metallic plate (272) movable in parallel relation to a lid (60) between a shut position for covering delivery and recovery slots (226, 218) and a release position for opening the delivery and recovery slots (226, 218); a closure spring (274) for resiliently urging the metallic plate (272) toward the shut position; and an operative member (275) for moving the metallic plate (272) to the release position against elastic force of the closure spring (274) at the same time the cassette (18) is secured to the frame (16) by operation of the cassette lock means (70).
The lid (60) comprises a delivery slot (226) through which the notes (66) are delivered from the cassette (18) to the passageway (22); and a recovery slot (218) through which the unacceptable note (66) is retired from the passageway (22) to the chamber (64).
The note holding and dispensing device (10) is removably attached to a host machine (12) so that the transfer device (24) is controlled by the host machine (12) and forwards inner information to the host machine (12). Accordingly, the note holding and dispensing device (10) can be manufactured in small size to electrically connect the host machine (12). A chassis (14) may be provided to envelop the frame (16) so that the note holding and dispensing device (10) is detachably attached to the host machine (12) together with the chassis (14).
The extracting device (232) of the cassette (18) includes rollers (258, 260) to which an uppermost one of the notes (66) retained in the chamber (64) is in contact; a first driven gear (234) for rotating the rollers (258, 260); and fin gears (264) adjacent to the rollers (258, 260) for selecting only the uppermost note (66) supplied by the rollers (258, 260).
The chamber (64) and storage area (68) are positioned adjacent to each other in the cassette (18), and the notes (66) in the chamber (64) are supported on a tray (200) of a support (202) so that the notes (66) are resiliently forced toward the extracting device (232) by a compression spring (204).
When the notes (66) are filled in the chamber (64), a pin (203) of a support (202) is engaged with a latch (220) provided on the bottom of the chamber (64) of the cassette (18). The latch (220) is connected with a sliding plate (222) which extends toward a rear surface of a casing (62) so that the sliding plate (222) serves to release engagement of the latch (220) and pin (203) upon contact of the sliding plate (222) to a protrusion (16a) of the frame (16) when the cassette (18) is positioned in the frame (16) thereby causing the uppermost note (66) to come into contact to rollers (258, 260).
The first driven gear (234) of the extracting device (232) is meshed with a second driven gear (148) positioned at the bottom of the transfer device (24) to rotate the first driven gear (234) by an extraction motor (124) through the second driven gear (148). The cassette (18) comprises a picker wheel (262) rotatably mounted in the casing (62) opposite to the fin gears (264) for preventing extraction of the double notes (66) at a leading edge of a pathway guide (248), said picker wheel (262) being rotatable only in one direction.
The diverting means (183) comprises a lever (184) rotatably mounted between a discharge position for opening the passageway (22) toward the outlet (20) and a recovery position for opening the passageway (22) toward the diverted slot (44); and an actuator (182) for moving the lever (184) toward one of the discharge and recovery positions. The diverting means (183) further comprises a biasing spring (186) for moving the lever (184) toward the other of the discharge and recovery positions.
The conveyer means (122) comprises a drive roller (190) and a tension roller (192) provided adjacent to the outlet (20) in opposite relation to each other. When the rear end of the note (66) is sandwiched between the drive and tension rollers (190, 192) after the note (66) passes a post-validation sensor (40), the electronic controller (46) ceases operation of the transport motor (150) to stop movement of the note (66).
When the electronic controller (46) judges that the note (66) is unacceptable in view of the optical sensor (30, 32) and also receives the detection signal from the post-validation sensor (40), the electronic controller (46) operates the actuator (182) to rotate the lever (184) to the recovery position.
The frame (16) further comprises an installation detection switch (114) for detecting the cassette (18) in the cavity (112) to produce a detection signal to the electronic controller (46).
The cassette (18) further comprises an empty detection sensor (282) for detecting reduction of the notes (66) in the chamber (64) to produce a detection signal so that the electronic controller (46) operates a warning system when receives the detection signal from the empty detection sensor (282).